TMM Editor Says Paul Simon's 'Obvious Child' Gets Her Up In The A.M.

Finally today, it's time for the feature we call In Your Ear. Throughout our years on the air, we've been asking our guests to share the music that inspires them. In our final weeks on air, we thought it'd be nice to hear about the songs members of our staff are listening to. Today, editor Amita Parashar Kelly tells us what's on her playlist.

AMITA PARASHAR KELLY, BYLINE: I'm Amita Parashar Kelly and I'm an editor here at TELL ME MORE. The first song playing in my ear is Paul Simon's "Obvious Child."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OBVIOUS CHILD")

PAULA SIMON: (Singing) Well, I'm accustomed to a smooth ride, or maybe I'm a dog who's lost its bite. I don't expect to be treated like a fool no more. I don't expect sleep through the night. Some people say a lie's, a lie's, a lie. But I say why, why deny the obvious child? Why deny the obvious child?

KELLY: I love this song because a couple of years ago I was on a long road trip and my wife put this song on in the car and I was like - where has this been all my life? I just love the drum beats. I love how it starts kind of slow and it builds faster and it adds in different instruments and his singing.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "OBVIOUS CHILD")

SIMON: (Singing) We had a lot of fun. We had a lot of money. We had a little son and we thought we'd call him Sonny. Sonny gets married...

KELLY: And I just think it's a really happy song and I wake up to it. It's my alarm in the morning and I listen to it at work and it's just very upbeat.

(SOUNDBITE OF PAUL SIMON SONG, "OBVIOUS CHILD")

KELLY: And another song playing in my ear is "Basement Bhangra Anthem" by DJ Rekha.

KELLY: She is a New York-based Indian-American DJ and she started having these parties. I moved to New York after I graduated from college and she would have these parties that were like $5 and you could go and dance all night and she would play all of this great Bhangra, Indian, Bollywood music.

(SOUNDBITE OF DJ REKHA SONG, "BASEMENT BHANGRA ANTHEM")

KELLY: And she is also known for collaborating with a lot of different artists. So this particular anthem that she came out with - Wyclef Jean is on it and she just has a lot of interesting rhythms and melodies and parts to it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BASEMENT BHANGRA ANTHEM")

UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing) The music, can't refuse it.

KELLY: And the third song that's playing in my ear is "Higher And Higher" by Jackie Wilson.

KELLY: It's a great song to kind of remind myself to keep my head up no matter what's kind of changing in life - to kind of stay positive and be uplifted.

(SOUNDBITE OF JACKIE WILSON SONG, "HIGHER AND HIGHER")

LYDEN: That was TELL ME MORE editor Amita Parashar Kelly telling us what's playing in her ear.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HIGHER AND HIGHER")

WILSON: (Singing) Now once I was downhearted, disappointment was my closest friend. But then you came and he soon departed and you know he never showed his face again. That's why your love keep on lifting me higher, higher and higher.

LYDEN: And that's our program for today. I'm Jacki Lyden and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. We'll talk more tomorrow. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.